الخميس، 28 يونيو 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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Charles Mize Still Going for Gold After 20 Years of Senior Games

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 02:32 PM PDT

Charles Mize hold several of his medals he has won over the past 20 years at the North Carolina State Senior Games. Photo by Seth Mabry

By Seth Mabry

LINCOLNTON- 77-year-old Charles Mize has spent the last 20 years participating in the Lincoln County Senior Games in the athletic events such as long jump, shot put and football toss.

But it is Mize's literary work that gets noticed at the state level. He has proudly won three gold and 2 silver medals with his writings in the North Carolina Senior Games since he first entered in 1993.

Mize moved to Lincolnton in 1982 after living in various parts of the country with his wife, Libby.  He had always been interested in writing but at this point did not have any experience.

"The advent of computers really helped me out with my writing. I bought a Commodore 64 and started typing away," said Mize.

Mize's first literary work was "Lincolnton 2085", a sci-fi story about Lincolnton 1,000 years into the future.

"It had helicopters and all sorts of weird things flying around in the skies," described Mize.

The prose earned Mize a second place finish in the Flo Robinson Literary Competition in 1985.

But it was not until 1992 that Mize found out about the North Carolina Senior Games and Silver Art while at a local writer's club meeting.

He entered an essay about Hurricane Hugo titled "The Dragon" which won gold in the local Senior Games in Charlotte, but came up short at the state level.

Charles Mize holds his certificate for winning first place with his short story "Twenty-Two Caliber Murder".

The following year, he won gold again at the local level with a short story called "The Young Flyer".  "The Young Flyer" produced improved results in Raleigh as it was awarded second place with a silver medal.

But Mize was not content with just the second place finish at the state level.

"Each time I won, I wanted to go back and win again next year," said Mize.

And that was exactly what he did the following year in Raleigh as he took home gold with "Flight of Mercy" which was a short story taking place on the Navajo Nation who is in need of a medical vaccine.

"It felt real good to win gold," describes Mize. "(The competition) is for the whole state of North Carolina."

This year Mize has high hopes of duplicating his past success as he will summit two literary works to the state games: short story "Kill the Quarterback" and essay "The Dreaded Apple Addiction", both of which won gold on the local level earlier this year. You can read “The Dreaded Apple Addiction” below.

But Charles is not the only one from the Mize's household to mix it up in the state games this year. Libby has also entered a photo of a waterfall she took during a trip to South Mountain Park. She has won several awards for state literacy while also participating in the softball toss.

Charles has also competed in the athletic events himself such as the standing long jump, but he feels he is more suited for the Silver Arts categories.

Libby Mize holds her photo of a waterfall that will entered in the state games.

"The competition (in the athletic events) is getting tougher. You got some people that tried out for the (Summer) Olympics," he said. "I would get wiped out if I tried that."

"But most of the people enter it just for the friendly competition," he added. "I just hope I can bring back the gold."

The North Carolina Senior Games will be held Sept 24-29 at the McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University.

The games are available to anyone 55 and up. To find out more about participating in the Lincoln County Senior Games in 2013, contact 704-732-9053.

 

THE DREADED APPLE ADDICTION

By Charles Mize

 

            The famous New York statistical analysis firm of Benden Truth recently investigated the serious problem of apple addiction in the United States. They found that the U.S. produced 6,077.3 million pounds of apples in the latest reporting year.  North Carolina accounted for 165 million pounds. The yearly total for the United States is enough for 20.5 pounds of apples for every man, woman, and child.

            Few people realize the hazards that eating apples presents. Were you aware that 100% of the people in the world that ate any amount of apples at all before the Civil War are now dead? A very large percentage of the people born prior to 1900 who ate apples are dead, and almost all the rest are in very poor condition both physically and mentally.

Of the surviving persons born between 1900 and World War I who consumed apples, most are in failing health with poor eyesight and physical disabilities.

Interviews with these people or their families determined that most had eaten apples at some time in their lives. Individuals who ate parts of the plant on which apples grow usually complained of tooth problems almost immediately. Test dogs fed a diet of apples alone experienced poor health after a period of time.

There were 2,019,234 prisoners in American jails in 2011 who were convicted of various crimes. Of these criminals, 90.5% admitted to eating apples at some time before the crime for which they were arrested. The others refused to answer questions about eating products made from apples on the grounds of self-incrimination. There is no significance as to the type of crime committed. People who eat apples commit all sorts of crimes.

A survey of persons in hospitals showed a similar trend – more than 99% of persons in hospitals had eaten an apple at some time in their lives. Withdrawal of apples and all liquids from the diets of these apple addicts caused death within a few weeks.

Laboratory mice force-fed a diet of five pounds of apples a day showed immediate ill effects.

Proof that apples are a problem for Americans can be shown by comparing them with residents of Greenland, who grow very few apples. These people rarely are affected by sunburn or heat-related illnesses, which are common among the workers in the American South, where apples are grown.

Additional proof of the perils of apples can be seen by the study of another group of people. A tribe of natives in Africa who have been isolated from modern civilization was discovered ten years ago. These people had not eaten apples. There wass no drug abuse or alcoholism, and not one person was in a prison or a mental institution. Once these people come to the cities and were exposed to apples, they had the same problems as other people – alcoholism, drug abuse, divorce, and stress-related illnesses.

These statistics show beyond a doubt that the eating of apples is a hazard to health and causes other social problems. Apples should be fed to cattle so that everyone can eat plenty of hamburgers. Not one death prior to 1900 can be attributed to excessive consumption of Big Macs.

The firm of Benden Truth trusts that you have appreciated their statistical report and hopes that you will apply the same credence to this election year's campaign rhetoric.

 

 

 

 

 

East Lincoln Community Chorus presents “Once Upon a Time…”

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 11:19 AM PDT

The East Lincoln Community Chorus will touch your senses with its production, "Once Upon A Time…" a fairy tale about the sun, the moon, and the musical awakening of Mother Earth.

Performances are July 19th and 20th at 7:30 PM and July 21st at 4:00 PM at Unity Presbyterian Church.   Buckle up! This show promises to be a fantastic journey you don't want to miss.  Experience the weaving of an organic tapestry of fantasy, fairy tales and make believe:  new beginnings, music old and new, and life in wonderful memories and imagination.  Admission is free. No ticket required.

Care to make a donation to help underwrite this production?  All gifts received by July 1will be recognized in the program.  Want to make someone's day extra special?  For a minimum donation of $30, you may honor/memorialize a friend, loved one, or one of our singers by listing their name prominently on the Contributor's List.  Just mail your check and a note with your contact information and a description of your listing to:  ELCC, P. O. Box 942, Denver, NC, 28037. Donations are tax deductible.

Please accept our thanks as we thrive due to your generosity and continue to bring the gift of musical arts to our neighborhood free of charge for all.

Be Different, Be Special, Be Successful

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:22 AM PDT

Joe Norwood

A couple of weeks ago, David McCullough, Jr.  delivered a commencement speech to graduating seniors at Wellesley High School in Boston that has become somewhat controversial.  He told the graduating class very bluntly "You are not special."  His premise was that to become special, you need to have achieved something in whatever endeavor you decide to pursue.  Since for the graduates this was a commencement, a new beginning, they were starting the next phase of their lives with zero achievements

As entrepreneurs, when we start new businesses, or transition existing businesses, we also need to understand that we are nothing special.  Just because we have had accomplishments in a previous life, have a great new idea or product, or are approaching the next phase of our lives with unbridled enthusiasm doesn't mean that our new venture is special.  However, although we have no accomplishments to herald as testimony to our value, we can offer something different, something that makes us stand out from our competitors.

The million dollar question is:  What is that differentiator?  Of course, that will depend on your business, your product or service and your target market.  Differentiators don't have to be grand gestures and can be very cost effective (or even free), but they must speak to your clients about what is in it for them.  As small business coaches, we hear elevator pitch after elevator pitch that recounts the history and philosophy of the company, the number of trucks the company owns, the worldwide presence of the franchisor (if you are starting up a franchise), etc.  For the most part, your potential clients don't care about the details of your business, they need to know how they will benefit by working with you.

Let's consider a few examples:  How about the beauty parlor that offers its clients a glass of wine or champagne as they wait their turn under the dryer, or the service company that each morning calls every customer scheduled that day and confirms approximate time of arrival, or the car dealership that guarantees that they can process any transaction in less than an hour, or the computer technician who offers to try to solve your pesky performance problem on line rather than have you deliver your machine to his shop.  These are just a few examples of how not only to make yourself different, but also, in most cases, to save time and money, for both yourself and your customers, and generate enormous good will.   By differentiating yourself, you attract customers and win the opportunity to make your company special, which launches you into the realms of success.

There is an old adage that states:  It is impossible to read the label from inside the bottle.  As we attempt to conjure that genie that will make us different, it is always more effective when we get a little help from our friends, people with a perspective from the outside of our company.  Whether it is a personal acquaintance, a Mastermind Group, or a professional business coach, you will find that ideas will flow freely – some good, some bad – but you're only looking for the one that will jump start your business.

From a business perspective, you may not yet be special.   But you can be.  So find the special move that makes you different, the move that can catapult you from ordinary to extraordinary,  the move that allows you to graduate your entrepreneurial venture from a  job, where you may be actually earning close to minimum wage, to a profitable company, or one that takes you business to the next level, the move that fulfills the dream of why you started your venture in the first place.

Einstein said that doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.  Do something different and expect to close in on achieving your dream.  It's fun. It's exciting and it works.

 

Joe Norwood and his partner, Eugenia Kaneshige, help small business entrepreneurs to increase their revenues, grow profits and reach the financial light at the end of the tunnel.

 

 

 

 

Town Hall Meeting

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 04:32 AM PDT
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